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HOLDEN AND THE NRMA
The NRMA’s relationship with Holden can be traced back
over 80 years, when Open Road would regularly comment
on motoring issues relevant to NRMA Members. In 1937,
for example, we reviewed a booklet from Holden about
safer driving and gave it high praise.
The relationship was enduring, and in the early days
Holden even produced special technical sheets exclusively
for Patrols to assist them while attending roadside
breakdowns of Holden vehicles.
The NRMA started moving away from British-made
Patrol vans like the Morris Minor and Patrols first used
Holden EJ panel vans in the early 1960s. A succession of
models followed with the EH, HQ, HZ and, in more recent
times, Holden Rodeos. It’s true to say that Holden vehicles
helped assist Members in difficult times for many years.
Kingswood
Sandman panel
vans were a big
part of Aussie
youth culture
in the 1970s.
THE 1970s
In what’s best described as the ‘Kingswood decade’ (sorry
Torana!), the all-new Kingswood made its 1971 debut. A myriad
of transmissions, paired with local and imported six-cylinder and
V8 engines, must have been a huge headache for workers at
Holden’s assembly facilities, but certainly not for fans of the cars.
Around half a million Holden HQs were produced through to
the mid part of the decade. The much-loved Holden one tonner
commercial range commenced alongside the existing ute range.
The HJ followed, with only the Australian-built 253ci and 308ci
V8s and 173ci and 202ci sixes available. Then, in 1976, the HX
range arrived and brought a raft of emission controls that
effectively strangled engine performance.
The final version of the Kingswood arrived in 1977. The HZ
was most notable for the introduction of Holden’s ‘Radial Tuned
Suspension’ and for dragging the ageing design into the
modern era until production ended in March 1980, which was
also the year that the TV series Kingswood Country debuted.
What Open Road thought of the HQ Holden in 1971...
“To sum up, this is a good family-type car that handles and rides
better than previous models, but the test car appeared to be
abnormally heavy on fuel.”
THE 1980s
As the curtain lowered on the Kingswood, Holden could see
the winds of change blowing through consumer tastes, with
concerns like fuel efficiency, standard features and reliability
becoming bigger factors. GM ’s European arm, Opel, was
trouncing all comers with its new large car, the Rekord, and
it was being considered as a basis for a world car. It wasn’t
designed for a six-cylinder engine, however, and Australians
wouldn’t buy their large cars with anything less.
Luckily, Opel already had plans for a larger model, the
Senator, and Aussie ingenuity came to the fore, with Holden
designers working it into the VB Commodore. Launched in
late 1978, the VB was the first model to have rack and pinion
steering and MacPherson strut front suspension.
By the mid 1980s, vehicles needed to run on unleaded
petrol, something the old 202ci six, with origins stretching
1969 Holden HT
1981 Kingswood WB
1980s Rodeo KB
2005 Rodeo RA
Credits:JimSkouras;KrisAshton
OPEN ROAD 35
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30/8/17 4:51 pm